National Institutes of Health

Our environment affects our health. Our average life span has almost doubled over the
past century or so mainly because we have clean, safe drinking water. If parts of the
environment, like air and water,
or soil become polluted, it can lead to health problems.
For example, asthma attacks can result from pollutants and other chemicals in the air and
in the home.

Some environmental risks are a part of the natural world, like radon in the soil. Others are the result of human activities, like lead poisoning from paint, or exposure to asbestos or mercury from mining or industrial
use.